To explain the fundamentals of public policy, this best-selling text focuses on the process behind the crafting of legislation. By examining the individual steps-from identifying a problem, to agenda setting, to evaluation, revision, or termination of a policy-students are able to see how different factors influence the creation of policy. Each chapter features at least one case study that illustrates how general ideas are applied to specific policy issues. This new Eighth Edition provides thoughtful updates based on the 2012 election and completely revised case studies.

Are you an ambitious person? Have you been taught that anxiety is the price of admission for success?

In this game-changing road map for high achievers, clinical psychologist Dr Mary Anderson shares her 8 Essentials – powerful principles that will allow you to pursue your goals without sacrificing your wellbeing. These actionable, science-based strategies tackle the pressures and pitfalls common to high-performing individuals, including burnout, imposter syndrome, anxiety, fear of failure, and more.

You will discover:

• Why striving for perfection actually limits you
• How to navigate uncertainty with less worry and more ease
• How to find relief in moments of overwhelm and manage stress
• Why gratitude is rocket fuel for your success
• How to discover what you want in life and set clear, attainable goals

This book provides in-depth analyses of a wide range of topics surrounding ethical issues in community and patient stakeholder–engaged health research, and highlights where consensus exists, is emerging, or remains elusive. Topics in this book cover the history of stakeholder engagement in health research; how codes of ethics and regulations have (or have not) addressed stakeholder engagement; how to promote equitable collaboration; the ethical perspectives of different stakeholders; and the unique challenges posed by stakeholder- engaged research to the protection of human research participants and the research ethics review process. The book includes discussion of unique issues that arise in stakeholder engagement relevant to different populations, settings, and research designs. This book is relevant for anyone with a role or interest in stakeholder-engaged research, including patient and community research partners; academic researchers; research ethics scholars and educators; and funders.

This book contains the proceedings of the XVIII International Symposium on Retinal Degeneration (RD2018). A majority of those who spoke  and presented posters at the meeting contributed to this volume. The blinding diseases of inherited retinal degenerations have no treatments, and age-related macular degeneration has no cures, despite the fact that it is an epidemic among the elderly, with 1 in 3-4 affected by the age of 70. The RD Symposium focused on the exciting new developments aimed at understanding these diseases and providing therapies for them. Since most major scientists in the field of retinal degenerations attend the biennial RD Symposia, they are known by most as the “best” and “most important” meetings in the field. The volume presents representative state-of-the-art research in almost all areas of retinal degenerations, ranging from cytopathologic, physiologic, diagnostic and clinical aspects; animal models; mechanisms of cell death; candidate genes, cloning, mapping and other aspects of molecular genetics; and developing potential therapeutic measures such as gene therapy and neuroprotective agents for potential pharmaceutical therapy. While advances in these areas of retinal degenerations were described, there will be many new topics that either are in their infancy or did not exist at the time of the last RD Symposium. These include the role of inflammation and immunity, as well as other basic mechanisms, in age-related macular degeneration, several new aspects of gene therapy, and revolutionary new imaging and functional testing that will have a huge impact on the diagnosis and following the course of retinal degenerations, as well as to provide new quantitative endpoints for clinical trials. The retina is an approachable part of the central nervous system (CNS), and there is a major interest in neuroprotective and gene therapy for CNS diseases and neurodegenerations, in general. It should be noted that with successful and exciting initial clinical trials in neuroprotective and gene therapy, including the restoration of sight in blind children, the retinal degeneration therapies are leading the way towards new therapeutic measures for neurodegenerations of the CNS. Many of the successes recently reported in these areas of retinal degeneration sprang from collaborations established at previous RD Symposia, and many of those were reported at the RD2016 meeting and included in the current volume. We anticipate the excitement of those working in the field and those afflicted with retinal degenerations is reflected in the volume. 

Filling an essential gap in the understanding of warfare during World War II, author Donald E. Anderson describes life as a young enlisted man in Hawaii prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor when he had only six months left in his tour. In Combat Infantry, he provides an emotional and firsthand account of the Pearl Harbor bombing and his next four years of service as he fought disease and injury, spending time in New Caledonia and New Zealand. A member of the 35th Regiment, 25th Division, he captures in vivid detail the fighting in the jungles of Guadalcanal and later, five months of continuous combat on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Anderson describes the grueling combats and deprivations faced by army infantrymen to liberate the islands. Anderson tells of a soldier's world that was confined to muddy foxholes, a dustclouded stretch of mined road, or a rocky, fog-shrouded mountain ridge where fear and fatigue took its toll. In Combat Infantry, he pays tribute to those who were killed in action. They are not just names carved on a stone monument, but living, breathing souls who gave their lives for freedom.

This book examines the gender context of HIV and critiques the global policy response. Anderson contributes to the feminist task of de-invisibilising gender as structural violence and identifies how gendered power structures are responded to at the local level in Malawi.

TheInternationalSymposiumonRetinalDegenerationhasbeenheldinconjunction withthebiennialInternationalCongressofEyeResearch(ICER)since1984. These RDSymposiahaveallowedbasicandclinicianscientistsfromaroundtheworldto conveneandpresenttheirnewresearch?ndings. Theyhavebeenorganizedtoallow suf?cienttimefordiscussionsandone-on-oneinteractionsinarelaxedatmosphere, whereinternationalfriendshipsandcollaborationscanbefostered. The XIII International Symposium on Retinal Degeneration (also known as RD2008) was held from September 18-23, 2008 at the Hong Zhu Shan Hotel at thefootofEmeiMountainintheSichuanProvinceofChina, nearChengdu. The meeting brought together 152 basic and clinician scientists, retinal specialists in ophthalmology, andtraineesinthe?eldfromallpartsoftheworld. Inthecourse ofthemeeting,42platformand88posterpresentationsweregiven, andamajority ofthesearepresentedinthisproceedingsvolume. Newdiscoveriesandstateofthe art?ndingsfrommostresearchareasinthe?eldofretinaldegenerationswerep- sented. TheRD2008meetingwashighlightedbythreespeciallectures. The?rstwas givenby Glen Prusky, PhD, WeillCornellMedicalCollegeofCornellUniversity, New York City, NY. Dr. Prusky discussed the measures of vision in rodents as a tool for evaluating the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases. The second was given by Kang Zhang, MD, PhD, on the molecular genetics of Stargardt's Disease. Dr. Zhang's undergraduate degree in biochemistry is from West China University in Chengdu, and he currently is at the Shiley Eye Center, University ofCaliforniaatSanDiego, SanDiego, CA. Thethirdplenarylecturewasgivenby Peter Campochiaro, MD, oftheWilmerEyeInstitute, JohnsHopkinsUniversity, Baltimore, MD. Dr. Campochiaro discussed the role of oxidant stress in macular degeneration. This Symposium would not have been possible without the support of our colleagues at the Sichuan People's Provincial Hospital and the Department of Ophthalmology of West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Fan Ying Chuan, MD, ViceChairman, SichuanOphthalmologySociety, DirectorofOphthalmology Department, SichuanAcademyofMedicalScience&SichuanProvincialPeople's Hospitaland Chen Xiao Ming, MD, Chairman, SichuanOphthalmologySociety, Director of West China Eye Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, gave tirelessly to our effort from the beginning. We are especially grateful to the ix x Preface administration of the Sichuan People's Provincial Hospital, which provided the ?nancialguaranteesnecessarytosecurethemeetingvenue. Theassistanceof Chen Hui (Robert), MD, of the SPPH throughout the planning and the meeting itself were of enormous help to us.

A volume in Research in Educational Policy: Local, National, and Global Perspectives Series Editor Kenneth K. Wong, Brown University This compendium of papers documents educational ICT policies and practices in 37 countries, making it a valuable resource for understanding and comparing ICT-related national policy developments in education. We believe that this work offers a unique in-depth examination of the trends within major education systems and how they have adapted to and taken advantage of the challenges and opportunities posed by the new information and communication technologies. A special feature of this edition is that it allows for interesting comparative analyses of sub-groups of countries, as many Asian, European Union, and former eastern-European countries, as well as the United States and Canada (among others), are included in the book. But it allows also for other than regional comparisons given that a number of newly industrialized countries (such as Brazil, Chile, Malaysia, and South Africa) are represented in this book, together with many OECD countries. This book is the result of the effort and hard work of the contributing authors, many of whom are the National Research Coordinators for the Second IT in Education Study (SITES) conducted under the auspices of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) for which the data collection took place in 2006. The structure of this book is similar to the previous edition published in 2003 in that it contains both country chapters and summary chapters. The country (or education system) chapters demonstrate the rich variation in policies and strategies on ICT in education around the world. To allow for comparisons across countries, all authors followed an outline consisting of the following main topics: the structure and nature of their educational system; ICT-related policies (illustrated with examples); special issues (such as equal opportunities or problems with sustainability); current trends in policies and practices; and expectations for the future. There are clear differences between countries in economic condition, information technology development, and historical background. In essence, the approach followed resulted in a set of country papers that show a number of commonalities but also reflect the cultural richness and variation.

Drawing on hundreds of interviews with 15-22 year old straight and gay male athletes in both the United States and the United Kingdom, this book explores how jocks have redefined heterosexuality, and no longer fear being thought gay for behaviors that constrained men of the previous generation.

The rise and decline of great powers remains a fascinating topic of vigorous debate. This book brings together leading scholars to explore the historical evolution of world systems through examining the ebb and flow of great powers over time, with particular emphasis on early time periods. The book advances understanding of the regularities in the dynamics of empire and the expansion of political, social and economic interaction networks, from the Bronze Age forward. The authors analyze the expansion and contraction of cross-cultural trade networks and systems of competing and allying political groupings. In premodern times, theses ranged from small local trading networks (even the very small ones of hunting-gathering peoples) to the vast Mongol world-system. Within such systems, there is usually one, or a very few, hegemonic powers. How they achieve dominance and how transitions lead to systems change are important topics, particularly at a time when the United States' position is in flux. The chapters in this book review several recent approaches and present a wealth of new findings.

The topics in this volume explore the etiology, cellular mechanisms, epidemiology, genetics, models and potential therapeutic measures for the blinding diseases of retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.
Special focus is highlighted in the areas of Mechanisms of Photoreceptor Degeneration and Cell Death (extremely important because very little is known how or why photoreceptors die in these diseases, despite an abundance of genetic information), Age-Related Macular Degeneration (with several novel approaches to its analysis), Usher Syndrome (the most severe form of retinitis pigmentosa, which includes an early or congenital loss of hearing along with blindness), and Gene Therapy. In addition, the section on Basic Science Related to Retinal Degeneration is particularly strong with several laboratories reporting on new discoveries in the area of outer segment phagocytosis, a key component of photoreceptor-retinal pigment epithelial cell interactions in normal and degenerating retinas.

Since 1984, we have organized satellite symposia on retinal degenerations that are held in conjunction with the biennial International Congress of Eye Research. The timing and location of our Retinal Degeneration Symposia have allowed scientists and clinicians from around the world to convene and present their exciting new findings. The symposia have been arranged to allow ample time for discussions and one-on-one interactions in a relaxed atmosphere, where international friendships and collaborations could be established. The IXth International Symposium on Retinal Degeneration was held on October 9-14, 2000 in Durango, Colorado and was attended by over 100 scientists from six continents. This book contains many of their presentations. Several events of note occurred at this meeting. First, thanks to the generous support of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, we were able to sponsor the travel of 11 young scientists from six countries. Most of them have contributed chapters to this volume. The response to the travel program was so overwhelming that we will make it regular feature of our meeting. This will allow other bright, young investigators to be introduced to the world experts who study retinal degenerations. Second, about 40% of the scientists who attended this meeting were there for the first time. We believe that this indicates a growing interest in retinal degeneration research and ensures that new talent will be attracted to this important area of investigation. The symposium received support from several organizations.

The production of this book represents a culmination for me of some 25 years of interest in the field of personality and substance use and abuse. In choosing the field of substanceuse and abuse for the focus of our research, all of the investi- tors collaborating in this research have been sustained by the awareness that the work we are doing has an important purpose. Substance abuse continues to have enormous impacts on individuals and families, and prevention and treatment - proaches developed to date have not always been as successful as we would hope to see. New advances in our fundamental understanding of the causal mec- nisms involved in the development ofaddiction may be necessary to advance our success in developing new forms of prevention and treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. The work in this book builds on the work of numerous previous investi- tors who have been drawn to investigate this topic. As you will notice in the extensive reference list, there have been hundreds of articles published on this topic. Although each of these references has added a small piece to our und- standing of the relationship between personality and alcohol abuse, the majority of these studies have been done on clinical samples and often involved no control groups or poorly matched control groups. Several important previous longitu- nal investigations have been conducted, but these investigations have usually not included general population samples or comprehensivepersonality test batterie